Reducing Time-To-Action Length in BA
Posted: 05 May 2010, 20:08
What is the problem: The amount of time before actual combat starts in BA is too long. Game start is boring.
Goals: Implement way(s) that speed up the game start without ruining its fantastic balance.
Description:
The first 2 or 3 minutes of BA can be fairly boring. The "standard" start strategy involves building:
-3 mexes
-2 solars
-LLT (or 2)
-Lab of choice
-2 more solars
-Rushing a con to guard your base
-Time to com push!
By this point you've used all your resources. The irony of this is that right as you are actually ready to build units, you are not able to as you have just metal-stalled.
Specific solutions:
-Mexes build faster
Not much is going to be upset in the balance if mex building time is set to 3 seconds or so. This game is about fighting, not about constructing buildings (someone feel free to quote this with Lolwut). Time spent building mexes at start just feels wasted. A modified solution is that decreased mex building time is only give to coms. This speeds up game start, increases expansion via com push, and prevents air cons from becoming too OP.
-First base comes with small energy production.
Not much, but maybe 40 E or so. This allows you to build a base and start expanding more easily. A modified version of this: first base comes with 2 solars attached.
First base comes with free con
This is probably my favorite idea. It frees startup resources, allows expansion to occur faster, and provides a unit that most RTS games provide free at the start.
First lab is instant-build and free of cost
I believe this is what XTA uses? Basically, FIRST thing you do it pick your lab and build it. It is instant-build and costs nothing. THEN you start building your startup eco of mexes and solars. It allows for quicker expansion and fighting. Makes early Jeffy/Flea/Scout rush much easier, but it also allows it to be countered easily (as the defending player could have just as easily built scouts to defend his own base - same as how an LLT is a cheap, easy defense).A modified version of this is to make it instant-build but not free. This doesn't upset the general balance of the game because while all labs build in about the same time, they each have different costs. Now costs are taken into account.
This is only a handful of ideas. I'd be willing to see other ideas by those more creative than me, or also general advice or feeling about the entire concept behind all of this.
-Do you feel like game startup time should be decreased?
-Do you have ideas/suggestions about my ideas?
-Do you have ideas/suggestions of your own?
/Whenever I make one of these big, game-changing idea posts I'm usually too nervous to check for a while. I'll see you guys in a couple days.
Goals: Implement way(s) that speed up the game start without ruining its fantastic balance.
Description:
The first 2 or 3 minutes of BA can be fairly boring. The "standard" start strategy involves building:
-3 mexes
-2 solars
-LLT (or 2)
-Lab of choice
-2 more solars
-Rushing a con to guard your base
-Time to com push!
By this point you've used all your resources. The irony of this is that right as you are actually ready to build units, you are not able to as you have just metal-stalled.
Specific solutions:
-Mexes build faster
Not much is going to be upset in the balance if mex building time is set to 3 seconds or so. This game is about fighting, not about constructing buildings (someone feel free to quote this with Lolwut). Time spent building mexes at start just feels wasted. A modified solution is that decreased mex building time is only give to coms. This speeds up game start, increases expansion via com push, and prevents air cons from becoming too OP.
-First base comes with small energy production.
Not much, but maybe 40 E or so. This allows you to build a base and start expanding more easily. A modified version of this: first base comes with 2 solars attached.
First base comes with free con
This is probably my favorite idea. It frees startup resources, allows expansion to occur faster, and provides a unit that most RTS games provide free at the start.
First lab is instant-build and free of cost
I believe this is what XTA uses? Basically, FIRST thing you do it pick your lab and build it. It is instant-build and costs nothing. THEN you start building your startup eco of mexes and solars. It allows for quicker expansion and fighting. Makes early Jeffy/Flea/Scout rush much easier, but it also allows it to be countered easily (as the defending player could have just as easily built scouts to defend his own base - same as how an LLT is a cheap, easy defense).A modified version of this is to make it instant-build but not free. This doesn't upset the general balance of the game because while all labs build in about the same time, they each have different costs. Now costs are taken into account.
This is only a handful of ideas. I'd be willing to see other ideas by those more creative than me, or also general advice or feeling about the entire concept behind all of this.
-Do you feel like game startup time should be decreased?
-Do you have ideas/suggestions about my ideas?
-Do you have ideas/suggestions of your own?
/Whenever I make one of these big, game-changing idea posts I'm usually too nervous to check for a while. I'll see you guys in a couple days.
